'Iwant to see that guest list again,' Jessica said.

    'Hangon. I'll get it.'

    Aminute later Bontrager returned, handed her the small stack of papers. She putit down on the gift-shop counter.

    Herstare moved down each of the pages. She didn't know what she was looking for.She scanned the list of cities. Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Montreal, Sao Paulo,Zurich, Cincinnati.

    Sheleaned against the desk, took out her iPhone.

    Sheremembered the crime-scene photos. There was something about one of thephotographs. She scrolled through the photos she had taken. Nothing jumped out.There were photos of the Federal Street scene, shots taken at the Mount OliveCemetery. There were also photos taken of the alley where Eduardo Robles wasfound, as well as the paupers' graveyard in the Northeast. The last roll waspictures taken in and around Garrett Corner, Archer Farms, as well as picturesshe had taken of the state police file on the murder of Peggy van Tassel.

    Shehad three pictures of the crime-scene photos. The scene was bloody andstomach-churning. One photo was a close-up of the girl's stomach.

    Jessicazoomed in on the picture, on an area where the girl's killer had bitten her. Asshe got closer she saw that it was not one of the bite marks, it was a bruiseinstead. She increased the size one more time. The image was beginning to blur,but it was still clear enough. The bruise looked to be in the shape of a snake.

    Aring?

    Hadshe seen someone tonight wearing a ring in the shape of a snake?

    Yes.A man wearing a ring of that description was one of the three men who had comeup to the table, one of the Three Stooges. It was not the inebriated one, BarrySwanson. Nor was it the tall Finn.

    Whatwas the other one's name?

    Sheremembered. She saw the name tag in her mind's eye. It was Jay Bowman.

    Bowman.

    Archer.

    Jessicawalked the perimeter of the Crystal Room, her heart racing. Table after table.She didn't see him. She walked to the other side, her eyes scanning, searching.No. He was not here. She hurried out to the lobby. The man calling himself JayBowman was not to be found. She got on her comm. In seconds she had JohnShepherd.

    'There'sa guest here. He's registered under the name Jay Bowman.'

    'Hangon,' Shepherd said. Twenty long seconds later: 'We've got him. Room 1208.'

    Theservice elevator was agonizingly slow. For a moment Jessica considered getting offand taking the stairs, but that would probably delay her. Josh Bontrager andJohn Shepherd were taking the passenger elevator, which was on the other sideof the hotel. On the twelfth floor they would be able to form a looseperimeter. There were now uniformed officers stationed at every exit on all thefloors.

    Whenshe got out on the twelfth floor she passed a handful of guests. Two womenabout her age, dressed provocatively as French housemaids. A shorter mandressed as a wizard. A pair of boys about ten. None of them were George Archer.

    Shemet up with Bontrager and Shepherd at the end of the hallway leading to theeast wing. They moved down the hall, ears attuned to the sounds coming from therooms. They reached Room 1208. Silence from within. Jessica made eye contactwith the two men.

    Bontragerknocked. No response. He knocked again.

    Shepherdstepped forward, touched the electronic card to the top of the lock. Jessicaand Bontrager drew their weapons. Jessica nodded. Shepherd swiped the card,turned the handle, and pushed open the door.

    Jessicarolled into the room first, her weapon high. There were no lights on. Shereached out, felt along the wall, found the switch. It turned on a single lightoverhead, along with an under-cabinet light on the minibar across the room.

    'Police,'she said. No response. She stopped just short of the bathroom door. She nudgedit open with her foot. Bontrager flanked her on the right. He reached aroundthe corner, turned on the light.

    The bathroomwas empty.

    Theyedged forward, deeper into the hotel room. Jessica saw it first. There was asmall pool of blood drying on the carpet in front of the desk. Next to it wasthe unmistakable stain of vomit. She touched Bontrager's arm, nodded at thestain. Bontrager saw it too.

    Theycounted a silent three. Jessica rolled into the main part of the room first,her weapon raised.

    Itwas a slaughterhouse. Blood slathered the walls, the floor. A spray of crimsondotted the window overlooking Seventeenth Street.

    JoshBontrager stepped forward, opened the closet. It was empty. He looked under thebed. 'We're clear,' he said.

    Jessicaholstered her weapon.

    Thebody on the bed was covered with a single sheet. There was a full body print onthe sheet, painted in blood. Josh Bontrager got on the far side, Jessica thenear. They each grabbed a corner of the sheet, pulled it back.

    GeorgeArcher had been savaged. His throat was cut from ear to ear. His chest wascrushed. There were bite marks across his stomach.

    Therewere also bruises across his thighs, bruises in the shape of a snake ring.

    Thering sat on the pillow next to his head. It was caked with skin and hair, bitsof drying flesh.

    Jessicastepped forward, checked the dead man's fingers. No tattoos.

    JohnShepherd got on his two-way, raising the head of the hotel's security detail.'Lock the building down,' he said. 'No one goes in or out.'

    Thelobby was in chaos when Jessica entered. There were a dozen uniformed officersdeployed at exits, elevators, and service hallways. The restaurant's doors wereclosed. Inside Jessica saw patrons at candlelit tables, elegantly dressed,sipping their wines, perhaps figuring that, if you had to be locked down, beinglocked down inside a Michelin-starred restaurant with one of the most extensiveand lauded wine cellars in the state was not such a bad thing.

    Insidethe Crystal Room, in an attempt to keep the crowd at ease, a member of theprotection detail made his way over to the attorney general's table, tapped hiswatch. The AG got up calmly, shook a few hands, but quickly walked out a doorat the back of the ballroom.

    Jessicahad changed into her jeans and hoodie. On her way out of the ladies' room sheheard from Shepherd in her earpiece.

    'Jess.One of the wait staff saw something near the rear service entrance. Just eastof the kitchen.'

    'Whatdid she see?'

    'Blood.'

    Jessicaand Bontrager met John Shepherd in the kitchen. Shepherd pointed out thehandful of red dots leading to the rear entrance.

    Shepherdstepped forward, swiped a card. They entered the area near the loading dock. APPD officer was deployed behind the building. When he heard noise he spunaround, his hand on his weapon. He was young, in his mid-twenties, a littlespooked. Jessica showed her badge, and the kid looked quite relieved to have adetective on scene.

    'Howlong have you been here?' Jessica asked

    'Aminute or so,' the officer said. 'I just got the call.'

    The bloodspots trailed over to a parking space, then disappeared.

    'Didyou see anyone leave?'

    'No,ma'am.'

    Jessicastepped back into the service area, looked at the door to her left.

    'Wheredoes this lead?' Jessica asked.

    'Women'slocker room.'

    Jessicapushed through the door, her weapon low. The locker room had three benches, arow of sinks, a single shower, a pair of toilet stalls. Jessica checked themall. The room was empty. She looked at the inside of one of the toilet-stalldoors. There was a smear of blood there.

    Whoeverthey were looking for was gone.